tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29962814271748010612018-03-06T04:53:40.666-06:00Ridgeway Country Club Turfgrass ManagementSteve Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951107323807147534noreply@blogger.comBlogger124125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996281427174801061.post-57893929641107630652015-03-05T13:41:00.001-06:002015-03-05T13:41:53.323-06:00Winter's End<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">&nbsp;Winter is finally coming to an end and we look forward to 2015 golf season that is just around the corner. &nbsp;This past winter has been a productive one taking care of our equipment and preparing the course for the 2015 golf season.&nbsp;</span><br /> <div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Equipment Repair and Maintenance </b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In winter all of our equipment is gone over to ensure that it is running correctly when we need it to perform at its best. &nbsp; All of our reels are ground to ensure that they are cutting well. &nbsp;Oil changes and preventative maintenance is done to each piece of equipment to help avoid future problems. &nbsp;Hydraulic hoses, bearings, and seals are evaluated and replaced if necessary. &nbsp;Preparing the equipment for the season is a 2 month process that will provide quality when we need it in the golf season.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">&nbsp;</span><img alt="Image result for reel grinding" 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" /></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Painting</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Another aspect of our winter work is painting and caring for our benches, ball washers and hole signs. The tee equipment is taken apart, prepped, and painted so it looks great for the beginning of the season. &nbsp;This winter we decided to paint the hole signs which have not been painted in many years. &nbsp;Tony is just wrapping up painting the signs and will be a nice added touch once we open the golf course.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PjPq2zxYF20/VPiwk21eKOI/AAAAAAAAA18/DnEa-FovlCQ/s1600/20150303_110411%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PjPq2zxYF20/VPiwk21eKOI/AAAAAAAAA18/DnEa-FovlCQ/s1600/20150303_110411%5B1%5D.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tree Care and Maintenance</b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Earlier in winter we pruned up a majority of the trees on the golf course. &nbsp;This allows for ease of maintenance so our mowers can work efficiently around them without being a hazard to the operator. &nbsp;The other benefit is greater playability for the golfer who is now afforded an easier shot from the trees.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We also had a few dead and dying trees that were removed back in December.&nbsp; Most of these trees selected for removal were ash trees that had little to any life left in them. This will be a continuing problem in the years to come as the Emerald ash borer has moved into the area.&nbsp; It is only a matter of time before all of the ash trees will need to be removed.&nbsp; The greens and grounds committee is looking at future tree additions to help manage the forest.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>What’s Ahead</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The golf course was put to rest last fall in outstanding condition.&nbsp; The winter has been kind as we have very little snow or more importantly no ice.&nbsp; We can expect the golf course to be in good shape once we open.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In 2015 we have a few things planned that will greatly improve the facilities at Ridgeway.&nbsp; Once warmer weather is upon us we plan to have maintenance facility paved along with some arborvitaes to help hide the road left of #11 fairway.&nbsp; Also we plan to do some repairs and seal coating of the clubhouse parking lot.&nbsp; We also have a few tree transplants that need to go in once the ground firms up this spring. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We look forward to an early 2015 golf season and we will provide weekly updates so stay tuned … <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></div>Steve Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951107323807147534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996281427174801061.post-20575803715771185412014-11-04T10:50:00.000-06:002014-11-04T10:50:53.727-06:00Drain Cleaning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HyY-yRxHY0w/VFj3fztbX-I/AAAAAAAAA1A/tzMMth5T0aE/s1600/Drainage%2BManhole%2B%2312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HyY-yRxHY0w/VFj3fztbX-I/AAAAAAAAA1A/tzMMth5T0aE/s1600/Drainage%2BManhole%2B%2312.jpg" height="200" width="111" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-0c1-4ufW8ak%2FVFj3fHSSl2I%2FAAAAAAAAA04%2Ff1GByHM3AYE%2Fs1600%2FSpeedy%252BClean%252BTruck%252B%252312.jpg&amp;container=blogger&amp;gadget=a&amp;rewriteMime=image%2F*" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0c1-4ufW8ak/VFj3fHSSl2I/AAAAAAAAA04/f1GByHM3AYE/s1600/Speedy%2BClean%2BTruck%2B%2312.jpg" height="200" width="111" /></a><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.7000007629395px;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.7000007629395px;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.7000007629395px;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.7000007629395px;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.7000007629395px;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.7000007629395px;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.7000007629395px;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.7000007629395px;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.7000007629395px;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.7000007629395px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.7000007629395px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.7000007629395px;">In August when the large storm drainage pond was being built we noticed that the large 12” tile that drains from #12 fairway to #16 tee was partially clogged with sediment.&nbsp;&nbsp;This obviously has a negative effect on getting water off of the property after heavy rainfall and in some cases was cause for golf course closures.&nbsp;&nbsp;Now that the large storm drainage pond was installed the greens and grounds committee decided to hire Speedy Clean to come in and clean out our large drainage arteries that help drain the course.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">This past Friday Speedy Clean came out and cleaned the large 12” tile connected to our new storm drainage pond. &nbsp;A lot of gravel, sediment and tree roots where removed.&nbsp; The process took much of the day; however we had some time to also clean out some tile near #16 fairway and clean out two 8” tiles that drain #11 fairway.&nbsp; This will go a long way toward enhancing our capability to drain the course in a more efficient manner, which ultimately will mean less downtime and more golf for our members! <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xd2_o7Fo-jA/VFj3g343AlI/AAAAAAAAA1I/RtwSSi2jLDg/s1600/Drainage%2Bclean%2Bout%2B%234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xd2_o7Fo-jA/VFj3g343AlI/AAAAAAAAA1I/RtwSSi2jLDg/s1600/Drainage%2Bclean%2Bout%2B%234.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a></div><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">The next couple of weeks we will stay on the drainage theme and try to wrap up some smaller but very important drainage projects.&nbsp; This week we hope finish up #16 fairway and touch up some areas on #18 approach. Before winter sets in we are hoping to drain #14 tee, #14 fairway and adding a smile drain on #2 green/collar.&nbsp; Hopefully the snow stays away for a few more weeks so we can get these projects completed. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;">We are looking forward to seeing many of you out to play your final rounds of the 2014 season!&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br />Steve Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951107323807147534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996281427174801061.post-20996934612099944752014-10-17T10:58:00.002-05:002014-10-17T10:58:36.633-05:00Sod Nursery and Fall Work<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><br /></div><br /><div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sod Nursery<o:p></o:p></span></b><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: white;">﻿</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jWJ-hwx6W_M/VEE69Ye5x6I/AAAAAAAAA0o/orxQAmruEs0/s1600/Sod%2Bnursery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jWJ-hwx6W_M/VEE69Ye5x6I/AAAAAAAAA0o/orxQAmruEs0/s1600/Sod%2Bnursery.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;">Sod Nursery</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: white;">﻿</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The sod nursery down by the maintenance facility is growing in nicely. We have very good to excellent coverage throughout the greens portion of the nursery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We have been mowing it about twice a week and have upped our fertility to aid in getting greater turf density. </span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The outer portion of the nursery was disturbed with construction of the new storm drainage pond and driveway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Because it is late in the season we will not have an opportunity to seed or work on this area until next spring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The area that is not yet seeded is designated for Kentucky bluegrass sod for roughs. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fall Work<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now that leaves are starting to fall we have a lot of work to keep the course clean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Over the next several weeks our blowers and rough mowers will be out in full force.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Our process consists of blowing leaving into rows and mulching them with our rough mowers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Expect more noise than usual as we try to keep the course as clean as possible. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Between mowing and keeping the course clean we are still planning on doing some more drainage work this fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span><br /><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">#18 approach is completed,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>look at the before and after pictures. Both pictures where taken after heavy rain events, the picture on the left&nbsp;was taken in 2010 and the picture on the right was taken&nbsp;earlier this week after almost 3" of rain.&nbsp;As you can see we have made a lot of progress!</span></div><span style="color: white;">﻿</span>﻿﻿﻿﻿<span style="color: white;">﻿</span><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-bzem5N0020g%2FVEE3l963pTI%2FAAAAAAAAA0c%2FYm9YuGAEcs8%2Fs1600%2F20141017_102808%255B1%255D.jpg&amp;container=blogger&amp;gadget=a&amp;rewriteMime=image%2F*" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bzem5N0020g/VEE3l963pTI/AAAAAAAAA0c/Ym9YuGAEcs8/s1600/20141017_102808%5B1%5D.jpg" height="320" width="179" /></a>﻿﻿﻿<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-VJzEGnuyYho%2FVEE0VZBdIyI%2FAAAAAAAAA0Q%2FClHqCp-vlc8%2Fs1600%2FDSCN2334.JPG&amp;container=blogger&amp;gadget=a&amp;rewriteMime=image%2F*" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VJzEGnuyYho/VEE0VZBdIyI/AAAAAAAAA0Q/ClHqCp-vlc8/s1600/DSCN2334.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span>&nbsp;</div><span style="background-color: white;">﻿</span><span style="color: white;">﻿</span><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">﻿</span><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">﻿</span><span style="background-color: white; color: white;">﻿</span><span style="background-color: black;">﻿</span>﻿﻿<span style="background-color: black;">﻿</span><span style="background-color: white; color: white;">﻿</span><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">﻿</span><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">﻿</span><span style="color: white;">﻿</span><span style="background-color: white;">﻿</span><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span>&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span>&nbsp;</div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span>&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span>&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span>&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span>&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span>&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span>&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span>&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span>&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span></span>&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span></span>&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span></span>&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span></span>&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">#16 fairway: In the next week we plan on draining the low area in the fairway about 100 yards from the green.</span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">#2 smile drain:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Install smile drain in the collar near #2 green to help get water off some poorly draining areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Because of the close proximity to the green we will start this work once the course closes for the season. </span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">#14 ladies tee: Install drainage near the ladies.</span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">#14 fairway: Install drainage in the rough and fairway approximately 150-200 yards from the green. </span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">At some point in the near future we are going to have the main drainage artery that goes from #12 fairway to #16 tee cleaned out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>While the storm drainage pond was being installed we noticed that the 12” main drainage tile was partially clogged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Speedy Clean is scheduled to come out and clean this out which will have a positive effect on storm water removal in the future. </span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">November is a busy month between the shorter days and preparing the course for closing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Although it’s been colder lately the golf course is still in good shape and the greens playing very nicely for this time of year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We hope to see you out on the course in the near future! </span></div><br />Steve Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951107323807147534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996281427174801061.post-32310225594493871332014-09-30T11:46:00.000-05:002014-09-30T11:46:24.102-05:00#18 Drainage <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">﻿</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5M78DUhN4CM/VCrWZYvNgAI/AAAAAAAAAzU/NumYQbcQByk/s1600/20140918_124828%5B1%5D.jpg" height="320" width="179" /></div><br /><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">﻿</span>﻿﻿<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">﻿</span>This past week we have been working on draining the approach on hole #18.&nbsp; If you remember,&nbsp;#18 approach&nbsp;is habitually wet from runoff&nbsp;in the parking lot area.&nbsp; We had drainage in&nbsp;#18 approach&nbsp;but because of the large volume of water we had to add some more to help get it from ponding.<br /><br />We added several new tiles lines and manipulated the pitch so that we could achieve more surface drainage helping to move water quicker.&nbsp;&nbsp; Also we added a large holding area just off of the parking lot so that water does not run across the fairway and back up the tile that is currently in #18 approach.&nbsp; <br /><br />On August 20th and 21st we received several inches of rain.&nbsp; Although there was some water in the approach it was gone within an hour after the rain had stopped.&nbsp; In the past standing water would have been present for days not hours. <br /><br />We are looking to do small drainage projects like this in the upcoming weeks.&nbsp; Next on our list is #16 fairway, which we hope to start sometime in the near future.&nbsp; The golf course continues to be in good shape so come on out and enjoy the last couple months of the golf season. <br /><br /><br />﻿<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IIvb5zVc-g8/VCrWs2dFmzI/AAAAAAAAAzc/Ate5T-6OVmk/s1600/20140919_160427%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IIvb5zVc-g8/VCrWs2dFmzI/AAAAAAAAAzc/Ate5T-6OVmk/s1600/20140919_160427%5B1%5D.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>The picture above is of an area that was stripped, graded for surface drainage and&nbsp;new tile lines installed.﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xTwgbVSPfa8/VCrXBGKqtQI/AAAAAAAAAzk/d_chieti0wc/s1600/20140930_105323%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xTwgbVSPfa8/VCrXBGKqtQI/AAAAAAAAAzk/d_chieti0wc/s1600/20140930_105323%5B1%5D.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a></div>The above&nbsp;picture is of the finished product once the tile was installed, surface regraded, drainage&nbsp;grates set, sod laid and new sod topdressed with sand&nbsp;for smoothness. <br />﻿﻿﻿﻿<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cVY8YT9h-5s/VCrX16lCA-I/AAAAAAAAAz4/mt9S2F462D0/s1600/20140930_105404%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cVY8YT9h-5s/VCrX16lCA-I/AAAAAAAAAz4/mt9S2F462D0/s1600/20140930_105404%5B1%5D.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>The above picture is of an area of the approach near the green that bubbled up due to a crushed tile line.&nbsp; New drainage was added and new sod laid. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bNmUbpEML9A/VCrXl88kqcI/AAAAAAAAAzw/svEyMgHJCsk/s1600/20140930_105352%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bNmUbpEML9A/VCrXl88kqcI/AAAAAAAAAzw/svEyMgHJCsk/s1600/20140930_105352%5B1%5D.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><o:p>&nbsp;This final picture is of #18 approach near the green, which was stripped, leveled and sodded.</o:p></div>Steve Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951107323807147534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996281427174801061.post-11324798266028993102014-09-05T13:32:00.000-05:002014-09-05T13:32:12.404-05:00What to Expect<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kOMrK_lctoM/VAoBdfgXG8I/AAAAAAAAAzE/BmzaEfUquCA/s1600/golf%2Bcourse%2Brough.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kOMrK_lctoM/VAoBdfgXG8I/AAAAAAAAAzE/BmzaEfUquCA/s1600/golf%2Bcourse%2Brough.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The past couple of weeks have brought warmer, rainier and more humid weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>With this change in weather we have a shift in the playability of the golf course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>As you may have noticed with your lawns at home, grass is growing at an unbelievable rate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>You can expect slower, softer greens and longer rough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><br /> <span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This time of season we have a smaller staff to complete work on the course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Please understand that some areas of the golf course might have some longer than normal rough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The high humidity and good growing weather have slowed the greens down considerably from what you are used too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Please take note and adjust accordingly. </span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">With that being said the course is very green and beautiful please come out and enjoy it … when it’s not raining. </span><br /> Steve Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951107323807147534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996281427174801061.post-12008917727062634012014-08-27T11:39:00.000-05:002014-08-27T11:39:58.126-05:00Successes and Needed Improvements<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><strong>Successes</strong> <o:p></o:p></u></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><u>Storm Water Project<o:p></o:p></u></strong></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zlt5QKLEkvE/U_4GO-NJA5I/AAAAAAAAAyk/3lHgjFRmOqY/s1600/20140827_091843%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zlt5QKLEkvE/U_4GO-NJA5I/AAAAAAAAAyk/3lHgjFRmOqY/s1600/20140827_091843%5B1%5D.jpg" height="320" width="177" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">No standing water on #12 fwy</span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">after 2.50" of rain!</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">With a majority of the storm pond project completed and the heavy rain the past week we are able to assess how well our holding pond is working.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>On August 16<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> we received 1.25” of rain and on August 18<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> we received 2.50” of rain, both times we had little if any standing water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Normally the storm on August 18<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> would have meant golf course closure for a day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Other than a little water in #4 fairway there was not the massive flooding that previously caused golf course closures. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>Also #11 fairway did not get the ponding effect that we previously experienced because our tile system was able to handle both #12 fairway thru #16 tee and #11 fairway at the same time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>Even though the new holding pond is only a couple of weeks old it has already saved 1 day of golf! </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><u>Water moisture meter and firmness meter<o:p></o:p></u></strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">The past couple of weeks we have been experimenting with our new water moisture meter and firmness meter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>These items will really help us keep greens “dialed” in so that we achieve the right moisture and firmness. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>Our regime will focus on keep good plant health while making greens firm but receptive to well struck iron shots. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></div><span style="background-color: white;">﻿</span>﻿﻿﻿<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MR3KsSHYG1k/U_4E4KrbWZI/AAAAAAAAAx0/J7-a8fyhgYg/s1600/20140827_111659%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: white;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MR3KsSHYG1k/U_4E4KrbWZI/AAAAAAAAAx0/J7-a8fyhgYg/s1600/20140827_111659%5B1%5D.jpg" height="320" width="177" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">New meters</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: white;">﻿</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>Due to the wet period we have experienced and how new these&nbsp;meters are to us we are still experimenting with the data so that we can hone in how we want our turf to perform.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The rest of the season will be a good test so we can go into 2015 with a good idea of how we can interpret the data to achieve optimal playing conditions on a more consistent basis. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><u>Needed improvements<o:p></o:p></u></strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><u>Drainage woes …<o:p></o:p></u></strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Now that we have our storm drainage under control, it’s time to focus on other areas of the course so we can improve both turf health and playability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I still believe that our #1 area for improvement on the course is adding drainage to many areas of the course. I have broken down the areas that need drainage to improve turf quality and playability: </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><strong><u>Greens</u></strong>- #4, #6, #11, #13, #16 and #17 greens need to be addressed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The excessive rain and high humidity showed that these putting surfaces need some attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Keep in mind 2013 and 2014 have been very mild weather wise, hence turf on these greens looks very good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>If we get years of hot, humid and rainy weather these greens will underperform.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Turf loss in seasons of hot, humid and rainy weather should be expected if we do not correct the problem.&nbsp;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>Some minor turf thinning was observed last week on #13, #16 and #17 due to excessive water and the inability of the water to escape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Although turf still looks good and most members may not notice what I observed, the question should be asked: What if we had extended periods of severe weather like in 2010, 2011, and 2012? Would these greens still be as good as they are now? The answer is no they would not and we should expect less than stellar conditions. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">﻿</span><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">﻿</span><span style="color: white;">﻿</span><span style="color: white;">﻿</span>﻿﻿<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lsNUu3ekk1E/U_4FEwJVF-I/AAAAAAAAAx8/wjo3Kdqf1fQ/s1600/20140827_111103%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lsNUu3ekk1E/U_4FEwJVF-I/AAAAAAAAAx8/wjo3Kdqf1fQ/s1600/20140827_111103%5B1%5D.jpg" height="320" width="177" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Thinning turf on #16 green.</span><br /><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Taken 8/25/14</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: white;">﻿</span><span style="color: white;">﻿</span><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">﻿</span><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">﻿</span><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><strong><u>Collars and Approaches</u></strong>- Overall collars are in the best shape they have been in 5 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Collars and approaches are closely related to greens because of their close proximity to each other. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>So improving drainage in collars/approaches also has positive impact on drainage on greens and vise versa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Collars like #2, #4, #10 #11, #13, #14, #16, #17, and #18 could all use some smile drainage to catch water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Collars and the approaches hold the most water because our greens slope from back to front.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This means excess water runs off into the approach and collar area making them softer and susceptible to all kinds of maladies. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>Firmer, healthier turf in the approach is desired to help shots hit short run onto the putting surface plus with added drainage we will see less of the worn out turf that can persist in the summer months of July and August. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LH8m_d6sp9g/U_4F947VjJI/AAAAAAAAAyc/boKpc8u2VJw/s1600/20140827_110441%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LH8m_d6sp9g/U_4F947VjJI/AAAAAAAAAyc/boKpc8u2VJw/s1600/20140827_110441%5B1%5D.jpg" height="320" width="177" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">#2 collar holds water.</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<strong><u></u></strong></span></span></span><!--[endif]--><strong><u>Fairway and Rough</u></strong>- #4, #14 and #16 fairways all have small areas that need some drainage to improve turf quality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Old USGA reports confirm that these areas have been problematic for over 25 years. Also the area in front of #14 tee and east of #6 green hold excessive amounts of water and should be looked at for future drainage.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uDm4ublV6hU/U_4FPxZ1koI/AAAAAAAAAyE/JTceFbhl_nQ/s1600/20140827_110643%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uDm4ublV6hU/U_4FPxZ1koI/AAAAAAAAAyE/JTceFbhl_nQ/s1600/20140827_110643%5B1%5D.jpg" height="320" width="177" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">#16 fairway swale</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">The golf course has been in stellar shape all season however it is my job and that of the greens &amp; grounds committee to look at problems so we can continually improve our product.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>By fixing our drainage issues we have more consistency in our presentation, turf health, and playability. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>Right now the areas I outlined for drainage are at the mercy of Mother Nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Remember she is not always kind . . . </div></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><strong> </strong></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Steve Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951107323807147534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996281427174801061.post-44987825644725878042014-08-12T11:35:00.000-05:002014-08-12T11:42:21.772-05:00Storm Water Retention Pond Update<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A lot of progress has been made by the town of Clayton in the past couple of weeks with the construction of a large retention pond near the maintenance facility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Because the town is redoing the road on Ridgeway Dr. water will get onto the golf course quicker and with more volume than in the past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>So to subdue many of the past drainage issues plus prevent any further problems, a large retention pond was needed to hold storm runoff in the 40 acres southeast of the golf course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Storm water in the pond will then run into the underground drain tiling system we currently have on the golf course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This will not prevent every storm from causing the course to flood but it will greatly reduce the amount of golf course closures we have in the future. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>In the past a large river from #12 fairway to #16 tee prevented us from opening the golf course during large rain falls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This also backed up our tiling system so that #11 fairway held water and created a large pond at the bottom of the range across #11 fairway and over to the maintenance facility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>In my 5 years at Ridgeway we have had to cancel a number of large events and good golfing days simply because of this storm drainage problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This retention pond project should fix many of those issues. </span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another issue we discovered was that the 12” tile that runs underneath the course from #12 fairway all the way #16 tee is partially clogged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We are currently looking at getting a company in to unclog this tile line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This is important because this tile is the main artery to drain water during massive rain events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Unclogging this tile line plus the addition of a large retention pond will really go a long way in stopping golf course closures in the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YV1w_yZwvy0/U-o5LtBa3uI/AAAAAAAAAww/y0j_DaVQINg/s1600/20140812_101804%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YV1w_yZwvy0/U-o5LtBa3uI/AAAAAAAAAww/y0j_DaVQINg/s1600/20140812_101804%5B1%5D.jpg" height="320" width="179" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The above picture taken from east of #12 fairway near the out of bounds and is really the only disruption on the golf course itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>This is where a large manhole sits and ties in the retention pond water with our existing tile underneath the golf course. </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zu36QwpIA38/U-o5WpkQ3YI/AAAAAAAAAw4/8WqTKNdg9SU/s1600/20140812_101900%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zu36QwpIA38/U-o5WpkQ3YI/AAAAAAAAAw4/8WqTKNdg9SU/s1600/20140812_101900%5B1%5D.jpg" height="320" width="179" /></a></div>&nbsp; <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This picture is of the spill way area were water would actually run out onto the golf course if the rain got heavy enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>As deep as this pond is (~8 feet) and by unclogging our existing tile system this should happen very infrequently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9wJiQo8NkhE/U-o5ptGllOI/AAAAAAAAAxA/Z263aDpa9wA/s1600/20140812_101924%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9wJiQo8NkhE/U-o5ptGllOI/AAAAAAAAAxA/Z263aDpa9wA/s1600/20140812_101924%5B1%5D.jpg" height="320" width="179" /></a></div>&nbsp; <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This picture is taken looking east toward Ridgeway Dr. just off of hole #12.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>As you can see the pond is deep so that it can hold a large amount of water. </span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d-UiO8R_9uA/U-o5-L9vpII/AAAAAAAAAxI/P3rv_9rixXw/s1600/20140812_102004%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d-UiO8R_9uA/U-o5-L9vpII/AAAAAAAAAxI/P3rv_9rixXw/s1600/20140812_102004%5B1%5D.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>&nbsp; <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is the large drain at the bottom of the pond where collected storm water begins to go underground over to #12 manhole from the first picture that was taken. </span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9dtM5ZjAje4/U-o6KhvV7eI/AAAAAAAAAxQ/A9mlSBvSWSk/s1600/20140812_102129%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9dtM5ZjAje4/U-o6KhvV7eI/AAAAAAAAAxQ/A9mlSBvSWSk/s1600/20140812_102129%5B1%5D.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This picture was taken looking northwest standing on Ridgeway Dr.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This picture does not do justice to how deep the pond really is… </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n6n5x5lH8O8/U-o6cSB7zkI/AAAAAAAAAxY/EhW7XSoIFps/s1600/20140812_102237%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n6n5x5lH8O8/U-o6cSB7zkI/AAAAAAAAAxY/EhW7XSoIFps/s1600/20140812_102237%5B1%5D.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And lastly this picture is of the new driveway for the maintenance facility which was moved to make room for the pond.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The new entrance is 80 yards farther east past the other side of the new sod nursery and then turns and runs parallel to #11.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span>&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The town has a few loose ends to tie up before this project is complete.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><ol start="1" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Grass the pond, pond banks, area left of #12 fairway, and the ditch along Ridgeway Dr. <o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Blacktop the new maintenance road. <o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Pick up and remove some&nbsp;small soil piles along the nursery <o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Add some&nbsp;shrubs and trees near the new maintenance road so it is less visible from #11.<o:p></o:p></span></span></li></ol><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Stay tuned for more updates on this project and all other golf course maintenance activities. ﻿<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">&nbsp;</div>Steve Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951107323807147534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996281427174801061.post-56179255303956502352014-07-23T12:03:00.000-05:002014-07-23T12:03:32.785-05:00Overhanging BranchesThis week we are going to be cutting down a number of the overhanging branches and widow makers on the property. A number of silver maples on the property have large overhanging limbs that interfere with shots that are hit from the fairway.&nbsp; Most notably #4, 9, 11, and 18 have large limbs that hang down over the fairways.&nbsp;&nbsp; Also we have a number of hanging branches (AKA widow makers)&nbsp;that need to be removed for aesthetic&nbsp;and safety reasons. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6cP3dC3fqi0/U8_p4ZyfzcI/AAAAAAAAAwg/qOQZKCK5_08/s1600/LIFT+%2318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6cP3dC3fqi0/U8_p4ZyfzcI/AAAAAAAAAwg/qOQZKCK5_08/s1600/LIFT+%2318.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br />We rented a large lift to assist in being able to accomplish this task safely and efficiently.&nbsp; Please understand that we will have some branches laying on or near the fairways.&nbsp; Equipment may also be in the way but should only affect your round on 1 hole. &nbsp;This task will take several days and may need to be finished at a later date.&nbsp; <br /><br />Thanks and sorry for any inconvenience while we finish this task. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-USxCYQ-_2sI/U8_pVAi3cNI/AAAAAAAAAwU/82MmGUHRZWA/s1600/20140721_123403%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-USxCYQ-_2sI/U8_pVAi3cNI/AAAAAAAAAwU/82MmGUHRZWA/s1600/20140721_123403%255B1%255D.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Steve Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951107323807147534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996281427174801061.post-15108189693693386542014-07-18T12:33:00.000-05:002014-07-18T12:33:14.032-05:00Storm Drainage Project <br />This week the Town of Clayton started a storm drainage project on Ridgeway property near the maintenance facility. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>The goal of the project is to build a large holding pond to collect water before it reaches the golf course.&nbsp; This pond will slowly drain into existing drainage on the property.&nbsp; The pond will be located out of play well left of #12 fairway near the maintenance facility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; Also a new driveway will be built on the far west end of the new nursery.</span><br /> <br />This is good news because it will result in less golf course closures after heavy rains&nbsp;than in the past. In the past the course&nbsp;closed due to a large flowing river running across hole #'s: 12, 2, 3, 4,&nbsp;7, and 15.&nbsp; These areas would become&nbsp;impassable by foot or with a&nbsp;vehicle.&nbsp; The new pond will not solve all of the flooding problems&nbsp;but will add days to your golfing calendar.&nbsp; Also because the Town is taking care of this project there is no cost to Ridgeway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span><br /> <br />There will be minimal interference as it relates to your golfing experience in the coming weeks.&nbsp; Wednesday on #12 they dug&nbsp;a hole to reset the manhole that was there previously and quickly added fill.&nbsp; Also&nbsp;some minor work&nbsp;may be done&nbsp;south of #11 fairway to facilitate construction of the new driveway.&nbsp;&nbsp; That should be the only interference to the golf course itself, most of the work will take place near the maintenance facility well out of play.&nbsp; However do expect some noise of construction equipment while playing #11 and #12.&nbsp; <br /> <br />We will keep you informed on the status of this important project in the days and weeks to come.&nbsp; Enjoy the beautiful weather that is in our near future. <br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BaRRZjQ0etg/U8lYAzF5cZI/AAAAAAAAAvY/4EWaBgb2K3o/s1600/20140718_110049%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BaRRZjQ0etg/U8lYAzF5cZI/AAAAAAAAAvY/4EWaBgb2K3o/s1600/20140718_110049%5B1%5D.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bdJ5ccTUMUI/U8lYFNhoSqI/AAAAAAAAAvg/8_3lgm9Rg9Y/s1600/20140718_110045%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bdJ5ccTUMUI/U8lYFNhoSqI/AAAAAAAAAvg/8_3lgm9Rg9Y/s1600/20140718_110045%5B1%5D.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FUJjYnR-VCw/U8lYTjvE-5I/AAAAAAAAAvs/blKyW9Y4jas/s1600/20140709_162251%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FUJjYnR-VCw/U8lYTjvE-5I/AAAAAAAAAvs/blKyW9Y4jas/s1600/20140709_162251%5B1%5D.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a></div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LqcAgB0ellY/U8lYTIaXh8I/AAAAAAAAAvo/ARG9TmBiAJY/s1600/20140718_105949%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LqcAgB0ellY/U8lYTIaXh8I/AAAAAAAAAvo/ARG9TmBiAJY/s1600/20140718_105949%5B1%5D.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rqwR6ckcoLw/U8lYd_E8qZI/AAAAAAAAAv4/rZBrH5xY-hs/s1600/20140709_162236%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rqwR6ckcoLw/U8lYd_E8qZI/AAAAAAAAAv4/rZBrH5xY-hs/s1600/20140709_162236%5B1%5D.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a></div>Steve Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951107323807147534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996281427174801061.post-48786934601174651132014-07-14T16:52:00.000-05:002014-07-14T16:52:43.277-05:00Firmness: An update<span id="docs-internal-guid-b6e6661a-367d-d3ff-2ce7-5b8d77d7f27c"></span><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-b6e6661a-367d-d3ff-2ce7-5b8d77d7f27c"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This year we have made a consensus effort to monitor firmness on the golf course. &nbsp;A golf course that is either too firm or too soft has its own set of problems. &nbsp;Soft conditions promote weak rooted plants, numerous ball marks, bumpy greens and Poa annua invasion. Too firm of conditions make stopping a ball impossible and can take away from the enjoyment of the game. &nbsp;</span></span></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-b6e6661a-367d-d3ff-2ce7-5b8d77d7f27c"></span><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-b6e6661a-367d-d3ff-2ce7-5b8d77d7f27c"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our goal has been to promote healthy turf that is firm but not so firm that balls fly off the back of greens. &nbsp;So far in 2014 mother nature has prevented us from getting the golf course too firm. &nbsp;Being half way through the golf season it is still &nbsp;good to look back at what has gone right and what things we need to improve upon. &nbsp;</span></span></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-b6e6661a-367d-d3ff-2ce7-5b8d77d7f27c"><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So far the putting surfaces have been in really good condition despite the heavy rains. &nbsp;Although soft, greens have remained smooth and a reasonable speed. &nbsp;Root structure and depth is still very good throughout. &nbsp;</span></div><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The biggest issue we have had this season is getting approaches to firm up so balls that are hit short run onto the putting surface. &nbsp;Greens and approaches do not dry down the same simply due to the fact that greens at Ridgeway tilt severely from back to front. &nbsp;After rain events water surface drains into the approaches making them wetter than greens. &nbsp;Because of this they hold more water than our putting surfaces. &nbsp;So far we have had inconsistency from approach to green due to this drainage fact. &nbsp;&nbsp;</span></div><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So what can we do to have approach firmness mirror that of the greens? </span></div><br /><ol style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Install smile drains.</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> &nbsp;Smile drains are sections of drain tile that would be installed at the low areas of the green/collar catching water as it leaves the putting surface. &nbsp;Because it follows the green edge it often looks like a smiley face. &nbsp;Smile drains offer a host of great benefits to both the green and approach. &nbsp;Also depending on how they are done they can sometimes be utilized to get water off of greens in winter months. By adding smile drains we would cut down the amount of water that gets to our approaches thus firming them up.</span></div></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sand, sand and more sand.</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> &nbsp;We have been topdressing our approaches however we have anywhere from ¾”-1 ¼” of sand in our approach profile, whereas greens have almost 4” of sand near its surface. By adding sand to approaches they will react more like a green. </span></div></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aeration and verticutting. &nbsp;</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This will remove thatch which acts as a sponge and stops balls from bouncing. </span></div></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rolling. &nbsp;</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Due to the wet conditions we have done very little approach rolling which would firm up the surface.</span></div></li><li dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Monitor using moisture meters and firmness meters. </span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We have purchased and will be receiving these devices which will allow us to check daily both the water moisture levels and firmness levels. &nbsp;Using bluetooth technology we can log our information so we can best use the data to benefit the golfer and turf health. </span></div></li></ol><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So far member feedback this season has been very positive however we still need to look to improve so we can provide a better product day in and day out. Our goal is to make fairways and approaches firmer than greens. &nbsp;So far this season that has not occurred. &nbsp;By following the 5 steps laid out we can make playability more consistent and make the game more enjoyable. </span></div></span>Steve Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951107323807147534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996281427174801061.post-13756208195667084862014-07-01T14:07:00.000-05:002014-07-01T14:07:51.809-05:00Nursery ProjectAs you are aware last fall we started a large sod nursery project near the maintenance facility just left of #11 fairway.&nbsp; The greens portion of the nursery has grown in nicely and with some mowing and extra fertilization&nbsp;should be filled in by late summer early fall.&nbsp; This section was&nbsp;prepped and seeded first and had a head start over the outside perimeter.&nbsp; The outside perimeter was seeded later and with very little germination the area became susceptible to erosion with the heavy spring rains.&nbsp; <br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BnGSb0m377A/U7MFfywHVaI/AAAAAAAAAu4/J1npD745wqU/s1600/20140701_132439%5B2%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BnGSb0m377A/U7MFfywHVaI/AAAAAAAAAu4/J1npD745wqU/s1600/20140701_132439%5B2%5D.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;">Good germination...</span><br /><span style="color: white;">Greens portion of nursery.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-keDh2wTOrEw/U7MFqllm_3I/AAAAAAAAAvA/MGBLISczrIw/s1600/20140701_132500%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-keDh2wTOrEw/U7MFqllm_3I/AAAAAAAAAvA/MGBLISczrIw/s1600/20140701_132500%5B1%5D.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;">Eroded area...</span><br /><span style="color: white;">Needs more work!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: white;"></span><br /><span style="color: white;"></span><br /><span style="color: white;"></span><br /><span style="color: white;"></span><br /><span style="color: white;"></span><br /><span style="color: white;"></span><br /><span style="color: white;"></span><br /><span style="color: white;"></span><br /><span style="color: white;"></span><br /><span style="color: white;"></span><br /><span style="color: white;"></span><br /><span style="color: white;"></span><br /><span style="color: white;"></span><br /><br />To this point very little has been done about the outside perimeter of the nursery.&nbsp;&nbsp;One reason is the weather continues to&nbsp;bring heavy rain.&nbsp; Any effort to fix the outside perimeter would have again been destroyed from heavy rains causing even more erosion.&nbsp; Although portions of the nursery are behind schedule I am glad that little effort was done to repair certain areas because it would have meant money down the drain.&nbsp; <br /><br />The next couple of weeks we will renew our effort to fix, repair, and reseed the outside perimeter of the sod nursery.&nbsp;Also we will be vigorously&nbsp;working on getting the good part of the nursery to&nbsp;fill in so that we have a good greens nursery going into&nbsp;fall. <br /><br />This is an outstanding addition to our department and a great investment&nbsp;for the&nbsp;future of Ridgeway.&nbsp;&nbsp;All we need is a little more sweat equity and some luck from mother nature to finally make this project a success. <br />Steve Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951107323807147534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996281427174801061.post-73787153089385433872014-05-21T11:04:00.001-05:002014-05-21T11:04:59.753-05:00Its weed season<strong><u>Broadleaf Weeds</u></strong><br /><br />As you venture onto the course this week you will notice dandelions and clover are out in full force.&nbsp; Under normal conditions we would have already sprayed; however, the cold and&nbsp;wet weather has pushed back&nbsp;our spraying of broadleaf weeds.&nbsp; Spraying broadleaf weeds in spring is an exact science. We use this website&nbsp;<a href="http://www.gddtracker.net/">http://www.gddtracker.net/</a> to figure out what time is best for spraying weeds.&nbsp; If we spray too early we miss a lot of broadleafs and we would have to reapply herbicide later on which would cost more money. <br /><br />As you can see, by looking at the website, this next week is going to be prime time for spraying broadleaf weeds.&nbsp; I anticipate with the nice weather ahead we will be able to&nbsp;spray the entire course&nbsp;in order to&nbsp;kill off what weeds are there presently.&nbsp; Along with that, we will be spraying the&nbsp;natural areas of the golf course for broadleaf and grassy weeds.&nbsp; Even though&nbsp;some of the&nbsp;areas&nbsp;on the golf course have a few weeds, we have gotten less and less as the years go by. <br /><br /><strong><u>Clubhouse Landscape Project</u></strong><br /><strong><u></u></strong><br />Although we just started the clubhouse landscape project Sunday night, we have gotten a lot of work done already.&nbsp; Monday's rain did not help; yet we still hope to complete the project within the next week. <br /><br />We will keep you updated on the project and more in the coming days.&nbsp; Come out and enjoy the nice weather ahead! <br /><br />Steve Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951107323807147534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996281427174801061.post-8376716464111046452014-05-06T11:34:00.001-05:002014-05-06T11:34:24.743-05:00April Showers <br />The old saying, "April showers bring May flowers" has so far been the story of this spring.&nbsp;This April at Ridgeway we received&nbsp;almost 10" of rainfall along with 4" of snow. The course is still wet and needs some time dry out. Some warm temperatures and sun would be much appreciated.<br /> <br />The last blog post talked about some potential winterkill issues with some colder nights in mid-April. The good news is we had no signs of any issues as a result of that cold stretch. The turf overall is in great shape for this time of year and has only minor damage coming out of winter. #9 and #17 greens have a few areas of minor winterkill that should not impact play and with warm weather should be back to full strength. Also some small fairway low areas have some winterkill but already appear to be healing in nicely. Warmer temperatures will be our greatest asset to getting these areas to recover. <br /> <br />Spring is an important time to prepare the golf course for the peak season ahead. We use this time to lay the foundation of what will be a great season. Aeration and topdressing are two processes that we utilize this time of year to prepare the course for the rigors of summertime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>One step in that summertime preparation is deep-needle tining or more commonly referred too as forking . We&nbsp;like to fork greens several times a season. This process is minimally invasive and has almost&nbsp;zero impact on the playability of the golf course. Forking is great for improving soil oxygen, roots, water infiltration and helps relieve compaction. Since we started forking greens 4-6 times a year, our greens health has improved greatly, not to mention our bentgrass populations have skyrocketed. Like I said earlier, the majority of our aeration and topdressing this spring will have very little impact on play but will have a large impact come summer in terms of healthy turf and smooth playing surfaces.<br /> <br />The month of May will be a busy month for the greens and grounds’ considering it was very wet in April. Here are a few items we will working on: <br /> <br /><div style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Building and installing new landscape beds between 1 tee/ 18 green. </div><br /><div style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Drainage in front of #14 tee. </div><br /><div style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Spray for broadleaf weeds. </div><br /><div style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Spray pre-emergent herbicide on fairways.</div><br /><div style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Repair and seed walks. </div><br /><div style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Topdressing of tees, greens and approaches.</div><br /><div style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Fix and repair the end of cart paths with crushed asphalt. </div><br /><div style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Prune trees with deadwood and overhanging branches. </div><br /><div style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Irrigation repair and maintenance. </div><br /><div style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Keep up with mowing the course which is difficult at this time of year because of how fast grass tends to grow with warm temperatures and soil that is moist. </div><br /><br /> That's a lot on our plate and is only a portion of what we need to accomplish in such a short time. We hope the weather is friendlier for accomplishing the work that we need to get done. With how well the course came out of winter and some elbow grease in the next month, 2014 looks to be a great year! <br /> Steve Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951107323807147534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996281427174801061.post-59270190454225066202014-04-14T10:48:00.001-05:002014-04-14T11:19:58.258-05:00Poa: A Golf Courses Greatest Liability.In the game of golf turf management, mother nature always has the upper hand.&nbsp; She is the judge, jury and executioner.&nbsp; So far our turf has looked very good coming out of winter.&nbsp; Up to this point both bentgrass and Poa seem to be doing well and have broken dormancy. We have mowed all of our fine turf areas and at this point things appear to be going along nicely ... until this past weekend. <br /><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t0EajlbSBA8/U0wCES4sAhI/AAAAAAAAAtU/ITZSPehuVmo/s1600/4-14-14+%2311+fairway+snow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t0EajlbSBA8/U0wCES4sAhI/AAAAAAAAAtU/ITZSPehuVmo/s1600/4-14-14+%2311+fairway+snow.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;">Taken 4-14-14</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kG9VoCXv9B8/U0wCF8qM-TI/AAAAAAAAAtc/P8xEp-l3MgA/s1600/4-13-14+%2311+heavy+rain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kG9VoCXv9B8/U0wCF8qM-TI/AAAAAAAAAtc/P8xEp-l3MgA/s1600/4-13-14+%2311+heavy+rain.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Taken 4-13-14</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Winter kill scenarios like crown hydration are problematic at this time of year particularly when you have&nbsp;Poa plants that break dormancy, start growing and&nbsp;start taking in water.&nbsp; Any situation where you have Poa plants&nbsp;breaking dormancy, wet weather, followed by cold weather you have a recipe&nbsp;for&nbsp;crown hydration. Crown hydration in plants is similar to taking a sledge hammer to a glass window,&nbsp; cell membranes in Poa plants burst similar to&nbsp;breaking glass&nbsp;and cause death of that plant.&nbsp;The next couple nights are expected to be very cold.&nbsp; Tonight in particular&nbsp;lows are supposed to reach the upper teens.&nbsp; After&nbsp;receiving 5"+ of rain the ground is&nbsp;way past field capacity and the Poa plants are full of water.&nbsp; This could lead to some crown hydration which means death of some Poa plants. <br /><br /><b>What&nbsp;can we do about protecting Poa plants at this point?</b><br /><br />Nothing.&nbsp; Our only saving grace is if the snow stays and&nbsp;acts as a blanket to protect it&nbsp;from the cold air. Or it does not get as cold as the forecast is predicting. <br /><br />Low areas and poorly draining areas&nbsp;with Poa are at&nbsp;risk for crown hydration.&nbsp;&nbsp;And greens with large amounts of Poa are at risk.&nbsp; For example #14 green is 95+% bentgrass and has virtually no risk of damage while #4 green&nbsp;has ~50% Poa with some poor drainage characteristics is at high risk. <br /><br /><b>What&nbsp;can we do in the future&nbsp;to protect against this type of injury?</b><br /><br /><b><u>PROMOTE&nbsp;BENTGRASS!!</u></b> If we have damage occur it will be on weak&nbsp;Poa, not on bentgrass.&nbsp; We have made great strides&nbsp;in promoting bent over Poa, that being said we still have some greens and some areas with significant amount of Poa.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also improving drainage especially surface drainage will go a long way in keeping turf drier which will ultimately help curb winter kill and summer stress. <br /><br />Remember that Poa annua is a golf courses greatest liability in this climate.&nbsp;It is by nature weak and succumbs to winter and summer stress.&nbsp; 99% of winter injury occurs on Poa and a large majority of&nbsp; summer injury occurs on Poa.&nbsp; Poa requires more water, fertilizer and pesticides to stay alive.&nbsp; It becomes bumpy and uneven which can impede smooth consistent ball roll on greens. <br /><br />I know that I talk a lot about Poa on this blog and that is because of all of the liability issues it presents as a turf manager. But keep this in mind during the summer months, when the golf course is a little firm or you see some brown areas from lack of water, or you see some&nbsp;trees&nbsp;that&nbsp;have been removed, remember this blog post about how Poa as a golf courses greatest liability.&nbsp; Remember that a&nbsp;soft, overly green golf course is an unhealthy golf course full of liability.&nbsp; With&nbsp;all of the&nbsp;winter kill issues, summer stress issues, playability issues, &nbsp;and large cost involved in maintaining Poa, would you invest in it long term?&nbsp; <br /><br />Here are some great articles about winterkill and crown hydration:<br /><br /><a href="http://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/mitgc/article/1995259.pdf">http://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/mitgc/article/1995259.pdf</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.turf.msu.edu/winterkill-of-turfgrass">http://www.turf.msu.edu/winterkill-of-turfgrass</a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.usga.org/RegionalUpdateArticle.aspx?id=21474861746">http://www.usga.org/RegionalUpdateArticle.aspx?id=21474861746</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong></strong><br />Steve Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951107323807147534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996281427174801061.post-56062098264305836022014-04-03T11:40:00.000-05:002014-04-03T11:40:11.540-05:00What's New for 2014 <strong><u>Course Update</u></strong><br /><br />Currently we little snow left on the course but still need some much needed warm weather to remove the several feet of frost from the property.&nbsp; With rain then snow&nbsp;in our forecast,&nbsp;its going to be awhile before we open unless the weather makes a drastic change.&nbsp; Keep in mind the average opening date at Ridgeway is around April 7th-12th taking into account 40+ years of history. <br /><br /><strong><u>What's New for 2014</u></strong><br /><br />With the season nearing I thought I would take this time to announce what's new for the 2014 season.&nbsp; During the offseason, the greens and grounds committee takes a look at what items or practices it wants improve for the next year. This season is no different as we have some great and exciting things we want to unveil.&nbsp; <br /><br /><ul><li>The last couple of seasons we have looked at ways&nbsp;to incorporate some new landscape/perennial flower areas to the golf course.&nbsp; We removed a majority of&nbsp;the numerous small beds in&nbsp;preparation of adding&nbsp;larger less numerous beds, located&nbsp;in high impact areas of the course.&nbsp; Starting this spring we will be adding several landscape additions to the property that will be located in these parts of the course:</li><ul><li>Landscape beds near the clubhouse between #1 tee and #18 green.</li><li>Below the deck by the clubhouse. </li><li>Between the wildflower and natural area on #13 across from #13 tee. Now that the natural area on #13 is reaching maturity we are adding this bed with the hopes of making this area the most beautiful on the course. </li></ul><li> We have received a lot of feedback regarding greens firmness vs. approach/fairway firmness.&nbsp; This season our goal is&nbsp;make fairways and approaches firmer than that of our greens.&nbsp; This will allow balls to roll up onto the putting surface.&nbsp; Another aspect of this maintenance change is to closely monitor greens firmness&nbsp;so that well executed shots hold the green better than in past couple of seasons.&nbsp;&nbsp;Several factors will play into our watering decisions&nbsp;in 2014: playability, aesthetics, firmness, and plant health will play a role in how we water. </li><li>&nbsp;This season we will be leasing a large PTO driven detacher that will help keep our fairways in great condition.&nbsp; Thatch is a problem for turf because it impedes water movement, shallows roots, and makes a great home for pests like insects/fungi. We anticipate dethatching fairways this spring. </li><li>In 2014 we are also going to be rolling fairways and approaches so that we improve ball roll without sacrificing aesthetics.&nbsp; This goes back to earlier in this post about firmer fairways and approaches. The side benefit to rolling our fairways and approaches is improved turf health and less disease pressure. </li><li>Collars and perimeters around greens are some of the toughest areas to maintain on a golf course.&nbsp; This season we have a multi-faceted approach to dealing with these areas so they are healthy and&nbsp;vibrant as the rest of the course.&nbsp; </li></ul>We are excited for the 2014 golf season to start.&nbsp; The new changes are nice additions to our ever evolving maintenance regimen.<br /><br />The greens and grounds crew hopes to see you out golfing very soon! <br /><br />Please&nbsp;check this blog and our twitter feed @RidgewayCCTurf for continuing updates as the season nears... <br /><br /><br /><ul></ul>Steve Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951107323807147534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996281427174801061.post-55707561938531645642014-03-17T12:13:00.001-05:002014-03-17T12:13:10.250-05:00Winter of 2014: The good, the bad and the ugly! The past few months the local news has been focusing on the harsh winter of 2014.&nbsp; To date, 2014 is already the coldest winter on record (for the Green Bay area)&nbsp;and with snow totals that keep piling up it may end up as the snowiest.&nbsp; This has many members wondering what this weather means for Ridgeway and the spring just ahead.&nbsp; While the outlook is uncertain at this point I will try to help you understand the possible scenarios that lay ahead. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VUM9bY2tdqk/UycreOcZgTI/AAAAAAAAArk/XerRWEfatQY/s1600/%2311+snow+Winter+2014.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VUM9bY2tdqk/UycreOcZgTI/AAAAAAAAArk/XerRWEfatQY/s1600/%2311+snow+Winter+2014.png" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">#11&nbsp;on 3/17/14</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><strong>The Good</strong><br /><br />One good sign this winter is the deep frost which&nbsp;so&nbsp;far has kept the turf dormant.&nbsp; The&nbsp;turfgrass plants had ample time to harden off before the heavy snows came in mid-December which means they became&nbsp;"conditioned" for the winter&nbsp;ahead.&nbsp; <br /><br />Another good sign was&nbsp;the relative lack of ice on the property.&nbsp; &nbsp;In past seasons ice has been present for extended periods of time throughout winter.&nbsp; Ice can cause damage to turf if it is present for extended periods but ice damage does not appear to be a problem this winter. <br /><br />Finally our bentgrass populations have greatly increased in the past 3 seasons which ultimately means less winterkill.&nbsp; Poa <em>annua</em> is a very weak plant that struggles to survive harsh winter conditions. Bentgrass on the other hand is very tolerant of cold weather, ice&nbsp;and large fluctuations in temperature.&nbsp; For instance, our winter kill last season would have been catastrophic if we had the Poa populations prior to 2011.&nbsp; Poa is a huge liability and&nbsp;is the reason we are trying to reduce its population at Ridgeway.&nbsp; If damage does occur, it&nbsp;will pale in comparison to past seasons. <br /><br /><strong>The Bad</strong><br /><strong></strong><br />Winter is not over and winterkill scenarios are more likely in the remaining weeks.&nbsp; With all of the snow and deep frost, water will soon engulf the property.&nbsp; Melting snow will cause water to&nbsp;pool up in areas which can be bad if we get large&nbsp;fluctuations in temperature.&nbsp; Crown hydration can occur when warm weather and melting snow/water cause Poa to break dormancy.&nbsp; If Poa breaks dormancy any extreme drop in temperatures can cause death to occur.<br /><br />With long harsh winters most of the turfgrass plants carbohydrate reserves are depleted and Poa plants are very weak.&nbsp; University studies have shown that Poa's cold hardiness can be 20 degrees F&nbsp;at the end of winter.&nbsp; So any extended drop in temperature to exposed Poa can cause damage. <br /><strong></strong><br />We will monitor the melt but there is little we can do other than make sure drainage grates on the property are clear so water can move effectively. <br /><br /><strong>The Ugly</strong><br /><strong></strong><br />The ugly truth is no superintendent can predict how a golf course will survive coming out of winters like 2014's.&nbsp;So far we have some good signs but unfortunately&nbsp;winter is not over and how the course melts may ultimately determine its fate.&nbsp; We cannot predict the weather or change it, so in the end all we can do is deal with its consequences.&nbsp; <br /><br />One thing I can say is the progress we have made promoting bentgrass is something that will help minimize the amount of damage that "may" occur.&nbsp; Poa is our greatest liability at Ridgeway and keeping it to a minimum is important so that winterkill scenarios are kept to a minimum.&nbsp; If our greens, tees and fairways were 100% bentgrass there would be no reason for concern of winterkill at this point.&nbsp; That being said we still have some Poa and because of that we have a liability that hinges solely on the weather at this point. <br /><br />Lets hope for nice steady melt and a speedy start to the 2014 golf season! <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2TD91ySyY1o/Uycr4QFOVSI/AAAAAAAAArs/ZgIBN3axvZM/s1600/Snow+%2312+green+grass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2TD91ySyY1o/Uycr4QFOVSI/AAAAAAAAArs/ZgIBN3axvZM/s1600/Snow+%2312+green+grass.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Taken 2/21/14 from #12 green</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>Steve Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951107323807147534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996281427174801061.post-19516523055612834462014-02-14T12:19:00.000-06:002014-02-14T12:19:12.769-06:00Winter Maintenance <span style="font-family: Calibri;">Inevitably I am asked every winter, “What is there to do at the golf course during the winter months?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Simply put, a lot!</span><br /><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></b><br /><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Painting<o:p></o:p></span></b><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5HsaL2KVyhY/Uv5dVdTVU2I/AAAAAAAAAqA/y-yEFi-vtVE/s1600/benches+ballwashers.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5HsaL2KVyhY/Uv5dVdTVU2I/AAAAAAAAAqA/y-yEFi-vtVE/s1600/benches+ballwashers.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">During the winter we bring all of our ball washers, benches, garbage receptacles, cups, flagsticks, and range tee dividers inside so they can painted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>All of the tee and green supplies get broken down, prepped, primed, painted and reassembled. Items like our range tee dividers get sanded, cleaned and receive several coats of stain/sealer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Equipment Repair and Maintenance <o:p></o:p></span></b><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K60fJiWUbgM/Uv5dWLLVtcI/AAAAAAAAAqE/0xMU-q6zXjQ/s1600/grinding+2+close+up.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K60fJiWUbgM/Uv5dWLLVtcI/AAAAAAAAAqE/0xMU-q6zXjQ/s1600/grinding+2+close+up.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ridgeway has close to a million dollars worth of equipment in the maintenance department and it is our job to preserve your investment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>One of the steps we take in preserving Ridgeway’s investment is preventative maintenance. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>Throughout the offseason all of our preventative maintenance gets done on our equipment which includes:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>oil changes, new filters, new bearings, hydraulic hoses, etc. are a few of the items that get replaced during the offseason. </span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A majority of our cutting units consist of reels and bedknives, both get taken apart and ground so that they are sharp once the season begins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Each reel and bedknife is examined for age to see if any replacements are necessary. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>Its takes months not days to look at every single piece of equipment and do the work necessary to have it working correctly when we need it perform at its best.&nbsp;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></span><br /><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></b><br /><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Irrigation <o:p></o:p></span></b><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We look into our central control computer which runs our irrigation to see if we can improve how our system runs. Every sprinkler can be tweaked to meet the demands of its particular environment. We can make adjustments if need be or reconfigure the system so we get the most out our watering. </span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">House Cleaning<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A majority of the work done this offseason is completed inside, because of that; we shuffle equipment around to make our work easier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Once we get our painting and equipment maintenance done we clean/ organize our shop the way we would like it for the golf season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">During this cleaning process we take inventory of irrigation parts, chemicals, fertilizer, tools, and supplies so that we know what we need once the hectic golf season starts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tree Management<o:p></o:p></span></b><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This season the greens and grounds committee has selected a few trees that had issues with the following: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Dead or dying. A few of these trees on the property where completely dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Many of these where elms or ash which had succumb to disease.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The committee had concerns with safety because of falling limbs. </span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Loss of form.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Many ash trees on the property where planted so closely together that they started to lose branches, or die off slowly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Because these trees are weak, wind storms have made many of these trees hazards to the golfer and from an aesthetic point of view, ugly! </span></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Overcrowding. In few instances trees that are crowding other larger specimen trees were removed to allow for the longevity and vitality of our most prized trees.</span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This season’s tree removal is very small but a nice improvement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It’s nice to see healthy trees that are allowed to now reach their full potential. </span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Along with a few tree removals we have also concentrated on removing overhanging limbs on the property. This will allow for greater playability and make mowing rough less dangerous for&nbsp;our employees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As you can see there is plenty of work that needs to be completed in the cold Wisconsin winters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>So much so that we have to make sure we stay on schedule so that it gets completed before our season begins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>So far we are ahead of schedule and we can’t wait for the 2014 golf season to begin!! </span>Steve Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951107323807147534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996281427174801061.post-39582462659734019222013-11-01T12:15:00.000-05:002013-11-01T12:15:08.560-05:00Transitional Period <span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The end of the golfing year brings a transitional period where the focus moves from surface preparation to gearing up for the winter ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>In many cases shoot growth of grass plants has stopped and mowing is not necessary. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>Focus now lies in preparing for the upcoming winter months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Here are many of the items that must or have been completed going into the offseason:</span> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KcFLi0WmnTk/UnPhDanyALI/AAAAAAAAApw/qhnt1AItauI/s1600/Snow+golf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KcFLi0WmnTk/UnPhDanyALI/AAAAAAAAApw/qhnt1AItauI/s1600/Snow+golf.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mow native areas.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>These areas must be mowed once a season preferably in the fall to help reduce weed populations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It is also nice to thin out the native areas so that they do not become too thick. Burning also works but can negatively affect the fescue grasses which are the desired turf species in these native areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The choice to mow over burning is a better option to preserve the turf species that we desire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Irrigation winterization.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The entire irrigation system must be winterized and the water blown out of the lines so that it does not damage the piping system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This task will take place November 11<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> and 12<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>. </span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Fall fertilization. </b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>Shortly after plants stop growing is a great way to enhance root growth and strengthen the plants for the upcoming winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Because the shoots of the plants have stopped all of the nutrients are stored and used up in the roots which enhance overall plant health. </span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Snow mold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></b>A fungicide application to fairways, tees, approaches and greens for snow mold takes place shortly before the first deep freeze or snowfall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>All of these areas are sprayed to prevent snow mold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This takes a coordinated effort because of the amount of leaves, shortness of the day, and air temperatures affect how and when the application will take place. </span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sand topdressing.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>As in previous years we will again be sand topdressing our tees, approaches and greens before winter to protect the crown of the plant from the harsh winter ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This is also a great way to incorporate sand into our profile without affecting play since the course will be closed for several months. </span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Deep-tine aeration. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></b>In conjunction with sand topdressing we also deep-tine our putting surfaces right after we close the golf course for the season. We have done this the past 3 seasons and our outstanding root profile is testament to how well this process works. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>The side benefit is these deep 9-10” channels give water a place to hide during winter thaw cycles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Water in these channels is better than pooling up on our putting surfaces, which can cause all kinds of winter kill issues like crown hydration and ice damage.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Leaf removal.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Most of the trees at Ridgeway lose their leaves late in the fall which means a majority of the leaf blowing and mulching will be done in November.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The end of the season also means colder morning temperatures and frost delays. Please be reminded that frost delays are necessary to protect turf from injury.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>On days when frost occurs, you can expect play to be delayed at least until 10 AM. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>This past week the earliest anyone was able to tee off after frost was 9:30.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Just a reminder when scheduling tee times this late in the season.</span></div></span>Steve Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951107323807147534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996281427174801061.post-79057152634151776142013-10-01T14:15:00.000-05:002013-10-01T14:15:21.672-05:00Busy Times<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It always seems fall is one of the busiest times for the greens and grounds department. The fall of 2013 is no exception as we have been very busy attending to small projects and areas of the course that need tender loving care. </span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Range Closure<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The south half of the driving range tee is closed for the remainder of the 2013 golf season. The north portion of the range tee will stay open in the mean time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>The reason for the closure of one half is so that we can grow-in the south half of the range tee before winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Once the course opens in the Spring of 2014 we will flip and hit off the south portion and close the north portion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the problems with the range tee in the past is that it fills in nicely but the ground underneath is unstable making the ground explode after a shot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>In order to curtail this problem we are going to be using a more organic divot mixture (60% sand 20% topsoil and 10% peat) which will give us a few more advantages: i.) increase germination ii.) give us better water holding capacity which is more desirable in this instance iii.) provide more stability in the soil structure so that it holds together better.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today we are heavily over seeding, fertilizing and topdressing with the new “organic” divot mixture. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />﻿<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E9q1MVYAdkg/UksLDBlVsSI/AAAAAAAAAm0/-ELINYHyvro/s1600/20131001_123327%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E9q1MVYAdkg/UksLDBlVsSI/AAAAAAAAAm0/-ELINYHyvro/s200/20131001_123327%255B1%255D.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;">Heavy topdressing with seed</span><br /><span style="color: white;">mixture.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CjwDylsfavE/UksK3YEtarI/AAAAAAAAAmk/c4pkLG9_LIc/s1600/20131001_123352%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CjwDylsfavE/UksK3YEtarI/AAAAAAAAAmk/c4pkLG9_LIc/s200/20131001_123352%255B1%255D.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;">New divot mix!</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />﻿﻿﻿﻿<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><br /><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Approach Aeration<o:p></o:p></span></u></b><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Starting Sunday night we started core aerating our collars and approaches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We core aerated from the last fairway sprinkler head up to the putting surface and around the collar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It is a multi-step process which has went very smoothly so far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Later this week we will be topdressing the approaches again to make sure all of the holes are filled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>You can expect collars/approaches to be heavily sanded for the next week until the area heals in and sand works its way into the turf canopy. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the goals going forward is to make our approaches play like our putting surfaces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We want to achieve the same firmness from approach to green.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This will ensure a shot landing on the approach can reach the green.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>So far in the past couple of seasons we have been able to add about 1” of topdressing sand to the surface of our approaches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We will continue to strive to provide more consistency from approach through the green.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">&nbsp;</span><br />﻿﻿﻿﻿<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fhHJZg9YhqI/UksOe0wQywI/AAAAAAAAAng/8GUrKcMS7MY/s1600/20131001_081323%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fhHJZg9YhqI/UksOe0wQywI/AAAAAAAAAng/8GUrKcMS7MY/s200/20131001_081323%5B1%5D.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;">Tony aerating #11 app.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-avoiwK2gHwQ/UksPURQhdbI/AAAAAAAAAn0/-1Vm1ysZch4/s1600/20131001_124436%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-avoiwK2gHwQ/UksPURQhdbI/AAAAAAAAAn0/-1Vm1ysZch4/s200/20131001_124436%5B1%5D.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;">Finished product.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" separator="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sod Nursery<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />﻿﻿<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As I have mentioned before the surface of the nursery is seeded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>After 8 days, we started to see seedlings emerge from the sandy surface.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>By the start of next week we will be looking at giving the nursery its first mow. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>The bluegrass and fairway portion are almost ready to be seeded and will be completed by the end of the week.&nbsp;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></span><br /></span><br />﻿﻿<br />﻿﻿<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">﻿<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_M0lwBe9vB0/UksYVtNgI8I/AAAAAAAAApI/M5q0_a9CAqY/s1600/20131001_122208%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_M0lwBe9vB0/UksYVtNgI8I/AAAAAAAAApI/M5q0_a9CAqY/s200/20131001_122208%5B1%5D.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;">8 days after seeding</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">﻿﻿<br />﻿﻿﻿<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">﻿﻿</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span>&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Steve Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951107323807147534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996281427174801061.post-91171914542520094642013-09-18T11:13:00.002-05:002013-09-18T11:16:18.072-05:00Sod Nursery ProjectLast Thursday we completed the greens portion of the sod nursery over by the maintenance facility. There are many steps and hard work that go into building a sod nursery. Here are some of the steps we have been working on in the past couple of weeks. <br /><ol><li>Leveled the sub grade with a bulldozer.</li><li>Removed large rocks. </li><li>Installed irrigation to the nursery which consisted of 600+ feet of pipe, several sprinklers, electrical wire and fittings to hold everything in place.</li><li>Added 3-4” of sandy loam mixture over the sub grade to the&nbsp;greens portion of the sod nursery. Presently our greens on the course&nbsp;have 3-4” of sand in the upper portion of its profile, we replicated that scenario on our nursery by adding this mix so that it matches perfectly with the greens on the golf course.</li><li>We compacted the sand and leveled it smooth.</li><li>Next we seeded the surface with an improved variety of bentgrass and added a starter fertilizer.</li><li>After seeding we used our sand pro rake with its knobby tires to make small dimples in the sand. This allows for a good place for the seed to germinate because these little dimples hold water and do not allow the seed to blow away or run off. </li><li>Over seeded the area again with an improved variety of bentgrass.</li><li>We covered the surface with our permeable greens covers to incubate the seedbed in cooler weather.</li><li>We have been watering the nursery light and frequently since seeding and covering the surface.</li></ol>There is&nbsp;still some work to do before we seed the fairway and rough portion of the nursery. We have to level the surface and in some areas remove some small rock before we seed this portion of the nursery. Once completed we will have 13,000 square feet of greens sod, 7,000 square feet of collar/fairway sod and approximately 3,000 square feet of rough sod.&nbsp; We hope to see some germination in the next month. <br /><br />Thanks to all who played in the fall fling and supported this great long term investment! <br /><br />Stay tuned for updates and pictures of this project. Steve Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951107323807147534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996281427174801061.post-78601763229715393732013-08-29T14:16:00.001-05:002013-08-29T14:41:11.900-05:00Course Update 08/29/13<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The big story the last couple of weeks has been the heat and humidity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Overall the golf course has handled the heat very well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The greens and tees are in very good shape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The fairways are a little stressed particularly on holes and in areas where large trees are depriving fairway turf of much needed water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We have been watering a lot however, we have to be careful to avoid disease (which tends to thrive on leaf wetness) and soaking low areas that are not drying out in this humidity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Once the heat subsides and humidity normalizes the fairways will look much better. </span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We have been working on some smaller projects and have a couple of updates:</span></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Deep-Needle Tine Update<o:p></o:p></span></b><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The greens have healed in nicely from the deep needle-tining that took place on Monday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The greens are smooth and very few tine holes are visible. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>I will update the blog showing the root development within these channels in the upcoming weeks. </span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">&nbsp;</span></o:p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Core aeration of trenches<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tuesday morning we core aerated greens where trenches are located on #4, #9, #12, and #17.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We cored aerated these areas to help level and blend in the sod and plugs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>After we removed the cores we sand topdressed, brushed out the excess sand and over seeded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>These areas are small but we will try to keep the hole locations on these greens far enough away so that it has minimal impact on play. </span><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ivrIdM0zuDg/Uh-bL8xlkyI/AAAAAAAAAkk/WtJHFSACiqo/s1600/20130829_114601%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ivrIdM0zuDg/Uh-bL8xlkyI/AAAAAAAAAkk/WtJHFSACiqo/s320/20130829_114601%255B1%255D.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;">A couple days after deep-tining&nbsp;and no holes!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m3aKmoyf5nY/Uh-bYPJ0MHI/AAAAAAAAAkw/G2d2sh1jyQ4/s1600/20130829_114549%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m3aKmoyf5nY/Uh-bYPJ0MHI/AAAAAAAAAkw/G2d2sh1jyQ4/s320/20130829_114549%5B1%5D.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;">Core aerated area on #9 green</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></b>&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sod nursery <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This week we have be working near the maintenance facility on the new sod nursery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Last week the area was rough shaped and the&nbsp;past few days we have been diligently working on fine shaping the sub grade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>The important thing is to remove as many large rocks as possible and smooth out the surface.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>To best achieve this we are using a Harley rake to perfect the sub grade.</span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Early next week we will be installing the irrigation for the nursery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>And next Thursday and Friday we will be adding 90% sand and 10% soil mix to the top 3” to achieve the same soil structure as what is currently on our putting surfaces. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>Once the 90/10 mix is leveled <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>we will be ready for seeding and growing the nursery. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VwLnGtpsOks/Uh-bSgTRJTI/AAAAAAAAAko/AdXnLw7CM48/s1600/20130829_113836%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VwLnGtpsOks/Uh-bSgTRJTI/AAAAAAAAAko/AdXnLw7CM48/s320/20130829_113836%5B1%5D.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;">Chris leveling the nursery.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Cart Path Expansion <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last week we added some crushed asphalt to #5/13 tee area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This area receives a lot of cart traffic and felt it was a good area to expand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>5/13 cart path and the newly added cart path on #13 green need to be leveled, tamped and then seal coated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We had some issues with our vibratory tamper and are looking to correct 5/13 tee to make it as presentable as #13 green cart path.</span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Have a great holiday weekend! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></span></div>Steve Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951107323807147534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996281427174801061.post-48644666031065577772013-08-26T12:13:00.000-05:002013-08-26T12:13:28.738-05:00Deep needle-tine aerationToday we will be deep needle-tining our putting surfaces.&nbsp; This process is one that we do several times a season, the last of which was in mid-May.&nbsp;It uses long solid tines to poke small&nbsp;holes into the soil.&nbsp; This process&nbsp;is&nbsp;not core aeration where lots of soil is removed and picked up.&nbsp; Deep needle tine aeration&nbsp;is minimally invasive and&nbsp;has very little&nbsp;impact on play when compared with tradition core aeration or standard deep-tining.&nbsp; Heal in time after core aeration and&nbsp;standard deep-tine aeration&nbsp;is anywhere from&nbsp;10-14 days whereas deep needle-tining is healed within a couple days.&nbsp;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span><br /> <br />As far as playability goes the greens will be a bit slower and may be a little bumpy early in the week.&nbsp;&nbsp;As&nbsp;the week progresses, the bumpiness will subside although some small holes may still be visible.&nbsp; &nbsp; <br /> <br />It is important to understand&nbsp;that there are many types of aeration and that all of them are critically important for having healthy turf on golf courses.&nbsp;&nbsp; We utilize all types of aeration at Ridgeway but use deep needle-tining as our preferred method on greens.&nbsp; The reason we chose this method more often than others is because we are&nbsp;able&nbsp;to do it 5-7 times a season without impacting the&nbsp;playability of our putting surfaces.&nbsp; Since going to deep needle-tining we have seen our roots double in length and increase in mass.&nbsp; This has translated in healthier more robust turf for the long term.<br /> <br />For an explanation of the different aeration methods here is an article that may help:<br /><br /><a href="http://grounds-mag.com/mag/grounds_maintenance_products_practice_aeration/">http://grounds-mag.com/mag/grounds_maintenance_products_practice_aeration/</a><br /><br />If you have any questions about aeration or any&nbsp;questions about&nbsp;the course&nbsp;in general feel free to&nbsp;email me anytime. Cheers! <br /> Steve Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951107323807147534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996281427174801061.post-24245734682769589382013-08-14T11:52:00.000-05:002013-08-14T15:53:36.092-05:00It’s been awhile!<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My lack of posting the past few weeks is not for a lack of activity on the golf course, quite the opposite, as we have been very busy nickel and diming little projects on the course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Here is an update on some of the items we have tackled in the past few weeks:</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We added drainage to the wet area behind #13 green.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>So far after a couple of storms the area drains perfectly.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Added cart park area near the new drainage on #13, enhancing the overall function and aesthetics of the cart path. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Added sod to numerous bare areas i.e. Area near #12 ladies tee. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Removed stone and under brush near the parking lot landscaping&nbsp;and added mulch. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Added copper sulfate and biological controls to lessen the amount of algae in the pond on #5.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Removed pesky weeds in #13 native area.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Removed suckers and low hanging branches on the course which includes the two large suckers near the pond on #13. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Aerated newly sodded areas and raised the height of cut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We did not fill in the holes with sand to allow for less scalping in these areas. </span></li></ul><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the upcoming weeks we will be busy with a number of other items:</span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><ul></ul></div><ul><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Pruning dead and hanging wood from trees on the course. Also pruning overhanging branches on holes like #4, #11 and #18.</span></li><li><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fill in soil around the new septic mound and planting native grasses which will hide the electrical boxes and other components.</span></li><li><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fix a few of the faulty irrigation heads on the course.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Prune areas around cart paths i.e. #14 green to #15 tee box. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Core aerate, topdress and seed trench areas on August 26<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>. Because these areas are small they should have little effect on play.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Deep-needle tine and topdress all putting surfaces on August 26<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Paint the trellis by the range tee. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Work on the new sod nursery by the maintenance facility. </span></li></ul>Steve Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951107323807147534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996281427174801061.post-56786524391149675322013-08-08T07:15:00.001-05:002013-08-08T07:15:38.259-05:00Must see TV! This short segment was aired on the golf channel last week.&nbsp; It is a great piece about conservation&nbsp;by using&nbsp;less water and increasing&nbsp;the amount&nbsp;natural areas on golf courses.&nbsp; In the 21st century, with&nbsp;an excess of&nbsp;golf courses and&nbsp;fewer golfers&nbsp;this proactive approach&nbsp;can have a great impact on golf course finances going forward.&nbsp; The combination of environmental stewardship and fiscal responsibility is something we can all&nbsp;get&nbsp;behind.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.golfchannel.com/media/in-play-with-jimmy-roberts-water-feature-073013/">http://www.golfchannel.com/media/in-play-with-jimmy-roberts-water-feature-073013/</a><br /><br /><br /><br />Steve Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951107323807147534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2996281427174801061.post-65246503442834787252013-06-28T08:37:00.004-05:002013-06-28T08:37:49.779-05:00Wind damageLast night a powerful storm littered the course with small sticks and large branches.&nbsp; We will be diligently working to get the course cleaned up today.&nbsp; It will be noisy on the course with the sound of blowers and chainsaws.&nbsp; Please be patient while we cleanup the course. Thanks!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JMuOL4WqcCk/Uc2RAEwhcvI/AAAAAAAAAkA/Uo0Rd0Umvrc/s1600/Storm+%239+fwy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JMuOL4WqcCk/Uc2RAEwhcvI/AAAAAAAAAkA/Uo0Rd0Umvrc/s320/Storm+%239+fwy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rOnG0YLrQWY/Uc2Rc60YGWI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/V5DgR5abd8Y/s1600/20130628_080529%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rOnG0YLrQWY/Uc2Rc60YGWI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/V5DgR5abd8Y/s320/20130628_080529%5B1%5D.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Steve Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05951107323807147534noreply@blogger.com